Note: The following piece was prepared by Dean Keener, who provides commentary on Southern Conference men’s basketball broadcasts.
 
Keener played collegiately at Davidson before embarking on a successful 20-year coaching career. He served as head coach at James Madison from 2004-08. You can follow him on Twitter: @DeanKeener1 
 
   

I. Inside the SoCon
We’ve reached early January and that means conference play is in full swing. And if we’ve learned anything during the first weekend of play, it’s that there is very much a competitive balance throughout the league. There are varying levels of talent on each roster and along with some very good coaching, the next two months of conference play will be exciting but difficult to predict because of the overall balance.
 
While I think there are several teams that could run off long winning streaks, I don’t believe anyone will go undefeated in league play (Wofford last did it during the 2018-19 season). Even with a good team, that’s extremely difficult to do. With the overall balance in the conference this season, I think 14 or 15 wins could be enough to secure a regular-season title.
 
I love that the Southern Conference plays a full round-robin schedule for a total of 18 league games. That also means most every game will be a struggle. More than ever, it will be important for teams to hold serve at home. With very little overall separation, anyone can win on a given night, which will make things fun, at least for the fans.
 
By the time we get to Asheville in early March, we should be set for a terrific postseason tournament. SoCon fans just need to enjoy what should be somewhat of a crazy regular season during the next eight weeks. It’s way too early to talk about a regular-season champion, so simply appreciate all that Southern Conference men’s basketball has to offer this season.
 

II. In The Know

• Southern Conference teams are a combined 44-15 at home in nonconference play. One game remains, as The Citadel hosts Chicago State on Monday, Jan. 30
• Chattanooga leads the nation in 3-point fields per game at 12.3
• Furman is fifth in the nation in assists per game at 19.5. The Paladins assist on 64.4 percent of field goals made. That’s sharing the ball!
• The Citadel’s Austin Ash leads the SoCon (eighth in DI) averaging 36.9 minutes per game
• Chattanooga’s Jake Stephens is tied for fourth in Division I with eight double-doubles
• Chattanooga’s Dalvin White leads Division I in assist/turnover ratio at 4.67

III. What is the Transfer Portal?
Transferring schools in college basketball has been going on for years. There are many reasons why a student-athlete transfers, including a coaching change, playing time and homesickness. But the process of players moving from school to school has changed significantly since the NCAA instituted the “Transfer Portal” in October 2018. Things really became hectic when the NCAA approved legislation in April 2021 that allowed players to transfer one time without having to sit out a year at their new schools.
 
Previously in college basketball, student-athletes were required to sit out for a year - serving a year in residence - before they were allowed to play at the new school. There were special waivers granted for immediate eligibility, but those were difficult to come by.
 
The free-agency portal, I mean transfer portal, is simply a database with the names and basic contact information of players that have chosen to enter the portal. This portal is “private,” as coaches are given passwords from their compliance office to gain access.
 
The most recent change by the NCAA was the “notification of transfer windows.” Student-athletes can only receive immediate eligibility if they enter the portal during designated time periods or “windows.” For basketball, the window is a 60-day period that starts the day after Selection Sunday.
 

IV. Transfers in the SoCon
The SoCon lost several key players to the transfer portal last season, but to some extent, the portal was good to the league on the return side of things.
 
Transfers come from a variety of four-year institutions (DI, II, III and NAIA) as well as junior colleges. In addition, graduate transfers generally have one year to play at their new schools but have been impactful during the past few seasons. Regardless of where transfers come from, they have become a way of life in college basketball.
 
Here are the top first-year transfers in the SoCon thus far:

1. Jake Stephen (Chattanooga) – The graduate student from VMI has been a great addition for the Mocs
2. Jamal Johnson (Chattanooga) – A terrific shooter, Johnson can score in a variety of ways. He’s quickly become the Mocs’ second option behind Stephens
3. Dalvin White (Chattanooga) – The graduate transfer from USC Upstate is a solid floor general
4. Jalyn McCreary (Mercer) – After spending time at South Carolina and South Florida, McCreary has found a home in Macon. The lefty leads the Bears in scoring
5. Luis Hurtado Jr. (Mercer) – The Bryant University transfer has been solid from the start for the Bears. He simply impacts winning
6. Tre Jackson (Western Carolina) – The Iowa State transfer has already come up big on several occasions for the Catamounts. He’s one of the best 3-point shooters in the league
7. Tyzhaun Claude (Western Carolina) – The Morehead State transfer has made an immediate impact for the Catamounts as he leads them in scoring and rebounding
8. Russell Jones Jr. (Western Carolina) – One of the leaders in steals in the SoCon
9. Keondre Kennedy (UNCG) – A graduate student transfer from UMBC, he’s currently the Spartans’ leading scorer and rebounder. He’s been in double figures 10 times
10. Mikeal Brown-Jones (UNCG) – The VCU transfer is averaging almost 11 points per game
11. Austin Ash (The Citadel) – A graduate transfer from Iowa, Ash leads the Bulldogs in scoring and is one of the SoCon’s best 3-point shooters
12. Elijah Morgan (The Citadel) – Another graduate transfer for The Citadel via Notre Dame, Morgan has been good for the Bulldogs
13. Jalen Haynes (ETSU) – After playing limited minutes in one year for Virginia Tech, Haynes moved to ETSU where he is a key player – and leading scorer for the Bucs
14. DeAnthony Tipler (ETSU) – Tipler spent two seasons at Northwest Mississippi JC, then last season at Coastal Carolina. He’s made an immediate impact for ETSU and is a double-digit scorer
15. Josh Taylor (ETSU) – The University of Georgia transfer can shoot it. He also leads the Bucs in rebounding
16. Kyler Filewich (Wofford) – After two productive seasons at Southern Illinois, the 6-9 Canadian has helped bolster the Terriers’ frontline
17. Carson McCorkle (Wofford) – Known as a shooter, McCorkle moved to Wofford after two seasons at UVa

V. Keeping talent at home
League coaches have always done a terrific job in recruiting. But keeping that talent has been another story. A look at the past six years of SoCon Freshman of the Year selections shows only UNCG’s Keyshaun Langley stayed at the school where he won the award (media selection unless noted):

• 2016-17:
  • Preston Parks, The Citadel (transferred to UT Martin)
• 2017-18:
  • Bubba Parham, VMI (transferred to Georgia Tech)
  • Bo Hodges, ETSU (coaches) (transferred to Butler)
• 2018-19:
  • Kevin Easley, Chattanooga (transferred to TCU)
• 2019-20:
  • Travis Evee, VMI (transferred to Rice)
  • Keyshaun Langley, UNCG (coaches)
• 2020-21:
  • Damari Monsanto, ETSU (transferred to Wake Forest)
• 2021-22:
  • Jason Roche, The Citadel (transferred to Richmond)

Here’s hoping that the good, young talent in the league will stick around and keep the Southern Conference one of the top mid-major leagues in the country.
 

VI. Slotting the teams
The nonconference portion of the schedule is just about complete (The Citadel has one nonconference game left), and we are into conference play. Currently, it’s hard to say a team is in the “top half” or “bottom half” of the league.
 
During nonconference play, all 10 teams showed they can win, but with limited league games, it’s difficult to rank. Therefore, I’ve simply placed them into two tiers knowing that it’s early and there are many factors that will come into play over the next two months.
 
Here is where I believe the teams currently stand …
 
Tier I

• Furman – The Paladins have not been perfect, but they are talented and tested. They have multiple players who can beat you. My guess is they will be near the top of the league standings all season

• Chattanooga – The historic play of Jake Stephens makes this Mocs team one that have a chance every night. But this is more than a one-man team, as Jamal Johnson has all-league ability, as well

• Samford – The Bulldogs opened league play with a bang, beating Mercer and The Citadel in fine fashion. Jermaine Marshall and Logan Dye were terrific. Once Ques Glover and Jaden Campbell return, this is a very dangerous team

• UNCG – The Spartans are disciplined and solid, especially at the defensive end. This is a really good team that very few are talking about right now

• Western Carolina – The Catamounts have won four of five, including a terrific win against Furman at home on Saturday. That broke a 13-game losing streak to the Paladins. They have a very capable starting five

 
Tier II

• ETSU – The Bucs ended a five-game skid by opening league play with two wins. Home games against Western Carolina and Furman loom large this week

• The Citadel – This is a difficult team to slot. The Bulldogs have some talent and are very well coached. Like ETSU, they could be in the first tier. Unfortunately, the schedule gets tough as five of the next seven are away from McAlister Field House

• Wofford – This team has been through a lot. But they have talent and will be a factor in the league race

• Mercer – The Bears simply lost their shooting touch in the second half of their game at Samford last week and didn’t find it against Chattanooga. This group will be fine once Shannon Grant and James Glisson III find their rhythm

• VMI – Andrew Wilson has probably done as good of a job as anyone in the league, but it could be tough sledding for the Keydets in a balanced and talented league

  
The next Dean’s List will be released Jan. 18, 2023. Follow me on Twitter: @DeanKeener1